Page:A complete course in dressmaking, (Vol. 5, Skirts) (IA completecoursein05cono).pdf/68

 to be taken out in pleats at the hip. Subtract half the hip measure from half the width of the skirt.

Work out the problem at the lower edge in the same way. Decide on what lines you want the skirt to hang. When pleated, do you want it to hang on lines equal to a plain skirt that measures a yard and a quarter at the lower edge or do you want the outline of your skirt to flare more as a skirt that measures one and a half or one and three-quarter yards? At the present time, skirts are pleated to hang very close to the figure.

If you decide you want the skirt to hang, as a plain skirt measuring about fifty-five inches would hang, you must pleat the lower edge into exactly this measurement, or on the half, twenty-seven and one-half inches. Substracting this amount from the width of the material that you have to pleat up, leaves sixteen and one-half inches to be pleated. Substract one half the width you desire at the bottom from one half the total width of the goods to be pleated. Make a memorandum of this.

Now you know exactly how much you must pleat at the waistline, the hips and the bottom.